Santa Cruz County treasurer Fred Keeley retiring

After years of service as a county supervisor, state assemblyman and most recently the county treasurer, Fred Keeley is now taking on a volunteer role looking at the possibility of studying countywide open space and recreation needs. (Dan Coyro -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)

SANTA CRUZ >> Fred Keeley, a former California assemblymember who is a statewide leader in environmental policy, retired as county treasurer Monday.

But he isn’t leaving just yet. His new office is just four floors up from his old at the County Governmental Center.

A major player in local politics, Keeley is spending the first year and a half of his retirement as a volunteer working with the county.

“We were so pleased to welcome him back,” County Administrative Officer Susan Mauriello said during a presentation honoring Keeley.

The county Board of Supervisors asked Keeley, 64, to assess park, recreation and cultural services needs. He is leading an effort to establish a county open space district.

With Coastal Dairies eyed for National Monument status, the Great Park project in the Santa Cruz Mountains and an overall desire for parks activities, Keeley said the timing is right.

“There’s a lot going on, and with an open space authority or district, there’s a much more organized and coherent way for the community to realize its dreams in terms of open space, parks, conservation and preservation,” Keeley said.

The first items on his to-do list are to meet with the supervisors and local mayors and to plan for outreach.

“I consider this more of a remix in my life than a retirement in the sense that my work in the community is ongoing,” Keeley said. “I chose not to seek reelection, but that’s different than being ready to leave community service. This fit in very well with the ongoing and continuing activities on my plate.”

Keeley will continue serving on a gamut of boards, including Sempervirens Fund, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the California Ocean Science Trust and Working Partnerships USA.

He has played a major role in a number of local issues, including bringing the Santa Cruz Warriors to town and preserving the San Vicente Redwoods.

“Fred Keeley is a legend in this community, this town and state,” Supervisor Neal Coonerty, who also recently retired, said at a presentation for Keeley. “If you have a problem, a concern, an idea, you go to Fred.”

Keeley managed $650 million in investments as treasurer. His office maintained a positive return on investments every single month, even during the recession. He also led an effort to re-establish property tax breaks for low-income seniors and the disabled.

Advertisement

“The state discontinued that program during the recession, and we were the only county that took it on ourselves,” he said.

The county combined its treasurer’s and auditor’s offices. Taking over the treasurer’s functions, Mary Jo Walker continues as auditor-controller.

Keeley’s work for Santa Cruz County began in 1981 as an aide to former Supervisor Joe Cucchiara. In 1984, he began serving as chief of staff to then-Assemblyman Sam Farr, who is now a U.S. congresssman. In 1988, Keeley ran for county supervisor and served two terms.

In 1996, Keeley began serving in the state Assembly, where he rose to speaker pro tem and earned the reputation as an environmental leader. While in the Legislature, he pushed significant ocean protection policy, and in 2000 and 2002, he authored the two largest voter-approved park and environmental protection bonds in U.S. history, totaling $4.6 billion.

The economy was expanding in 2000 and contracting in 2002, yet both measures received 57 percent of the vote. In this achievement, Keeley sees a public policy lesson.

“I thought — and one reason why I’m optimistic about an open space district — is that there seems to be little correlation between the health of the economy and the desire of the voters to vote to protect and enhance the environment and have very robust parks and recreational services in their communities,” Keeley said.

Political redistricting in 2001 thwarted Keeley’s expected bid for state Senate. That’s when he became executive director of the Sacramento-based Planning and Conservation League. He also began serving on the board of California Forward, which placed a measure on the ballot that stripped redistricting power from the Legislature.

“That was a major policy change in California, and it turned out to benefit the Central Coast by restoring its historic presence in the Senate,” Keeley said.

Keeley continues to lecture on local and state government at his alma mater, San Jose State University, and California State University Monterey Bay’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He also lectures at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.

UCSC’s Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy series is taking a break while Keeley raises money for the UCSC Keeley Coastal Scholars Program. The endowment is meant to help underrepresented low-income students who specialize in ocean policy conduct research projects during summer break, when lack of funds force many to return home.

“The idea of being able to have a marine research community overtime that reflects the demography of California is a motivating factor for me,” Keeley said.

Fred Keeley

Who: Retiring as the elected county treasurer after 10 years of service. Keeley also is leading an effort to establish a county open space district as a volunteer.